Article of furniture



Jan. 13, 1959 E. F. HAMIFTON ,8

' ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Filed Oct. 21, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet INVEN TOR. 5119/. fflfln/umg Jan. 13, 1959 E. F. HAMILTON 2,853,601

ARTICLE OF FURNIQURE Filed Oct. 21, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 9 I N V EN TOR.

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United States Patent ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Earl F. Hamilton, Columbus, Ind., assiguor to Hamilton Manufacturing Corporation, Columbus, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application October 21, 1957, Serial No. 691,186

1 Claims. 01. 311-101 This invention relates to panel-likefurniture elements such as table-tops, chain seats, or the like, and particularly to panel-like elements which require peripheral reinforcement and are covered with flexible sheet material.

It is an object of my invention to provide for such-a panel-like element an improved form of peripheral reinforcement which will not only strengthen and stiffen the element but will also play a part in anchoring and tightening the flexible covering.

In carrying out my invention in its preferred form, I provide a panel of the desired shape and material, and to such panel I secure a peripheral reinforcement, preferably sectional and made of sheet-metal of L-shape in cross-section to provide one flange which is secured to the back of the panel and another flange which lies substantially flush with the panel margin and projects perpendicularly from the panel. The face of the panel is then covered with flexible material, such as fabric or sheet plastic, the edges of which are brought around the edge of the projecting reinforcement flange and secured to the back of the panel at points spaced inwardly from such flange to leave stretches of the covering material extending obliquely from the edge of the flange to the panel.

A rigid peripheral frame, conveniently made of metal tubing and of such size as to fit loosely within the projecting reinforcement flange, is positioned against the obliquely extending stretches of covering material and forced into engagement with the'panel, in which position the frame is secured to the panel in any convenient manner.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one embodiment of my invention. In such drawings:

Fig. 1 is a bottom plan of a collapsible card table embodying my invention, the table legs being shown in collapsed position;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the table shown in Fig. 1 with the legs in extended operative position;

Fig. 3 is an isometric view of the peripheral reinforcement;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

The invention is shown in the accompanying drawings as embodied in a collapsible card table. As illustrated, the table is provided with a top supported at each of its corners by a leg 12 engageable with the floor or other supporting surface. For purposes of convenience, each leg 12 is pivotally mounted to the table top 10 by means of brackets 14 so that the legs may be pivoted to lie against the lower face of the table top in a collapsed storage position, as shown in Fig. l. The legs 12 are further provided with any suitable locking means 16 for retaining them in an upright operating position.

In accordance with my invention the table top 10 comprises a main structural panel 20 formed of ply-wood, hardboard, or other appropriate material and desirably having rounded edges, as indicated at 22. A peripheral frame 24, conveniently formed of sheet-metal bent into an L-shaped cross-section to provide mutually perpendicular flanges 26 and 28, is secured to the lower face of the panel, as by a plurality of rivets 30 received in aligned openings pierced in the panel and the flange 26. Desirably, the frame 24 is secured to the lower panel face so that its flange 28 is flush with and forms a depending extension of the marginal edge of the panel 20.

In the case of the table top illustrated, the frame is conveniently made of four similar sections, each section extending along one side of the top and being bent at one end to continue around a corner of the top. If so constructed, the flanges 28 of adjacent sections desirably abut each other as at 29 while the flanges 26 overlap each other as at 27. To permit such overlapping, the end of the straight stretch of each flange 26 may be offset down-. wardly for the thickness of the metal.

A pad 32 formed from anysuitable material, such as foam-rubber or the like, is disposed over the upper face of the panel 20 and may be secured thereon in any suitable manner such as by gluing. Desirably, the pad 32 is of suflicient size that its margins may extend downwardly over the frame 24 .to embrace the lower edge of the flange 28. Overlying the pad 32 is a thin sheet 34 of plastic or cloth forming an attractive cover for the pad and panel and holding the pad on said panel. The margins of the sheet 34 extend around the edge of the flange 28 and are firmly secured to the lower panel face as by staples 36 which are located inwardly of the frame 24. With the pad 32 and the sheet 34 each having a greater extent than the panel 20, their margins overlap the outer face of the flange 28 to form an attractive padded border for the table top 10.

Strength and rigidity are added to the panel 20 by a tubular metal frame 38 adapted to fit loosely within the flange 28 of the frame 24. If the frame 38 is properly proportional it will, when positioned within the flange 28, engage those portions of the cover 34 which extend obliquely from the edge of the flange 23 to the staples 36. If the frame is then forced toward the panel to the position shown in Fig. 5, those oblique cover portions will be deformed and the cover tightly'stretched. While held in cover stretching position the frame is aflixed to the panel as by a plurality of clips 40 each having one of its ends secured to the panel 20 by a rivet 42 and its opposite end bent to partially overlap the underside of the frame 38. Desirably, the lower ends of the clips 40 and the tubing of the frame 38 are pierced for the reception of tapered, headed pins 41 which bindingly retain the clips in contact with the frame.

By employing the construction described, the frames 24 and 38 reinforce and stiffen the panel 20 and cooperate to draw the cover 34 tightly over the panel 20 and pad 32, thus preventing the cover from wrinkling.

Although I have described my invention as embodied in a card table top, it is to be understood that other modificationsand embodiments may be employed which are within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims which follow.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an article of furniture, a panel, a peripheral reinforcement secured to one face of said panel and having a flange which projects from the panel generally flush with the edges of the panel, a covering for the other face of the panel comprising a sheet of flexible material extending around the edge of said flange and obliquely therefrom to the first mentioned panel-face, means spaced inwardly from said flange for affixing the flexible material to the first mentioned panel-face, a frame fitting loosely within said flange and engaging the obliquely extending portions of said flexible material, and means for securing said frame to said panel in such position that 3 it distorts and stretches said obliquely extending portions. 2. The invention of claim 1 With the addition that said frame is formed of metal tubing.

3. The invention of claim 1 with the addition that said means comprises a plurality of, L-shaped clips each having one leg secured to said panel and the other leg partially embracing and secured to the material of said frame.

4. The invention of claim 1 with the addition thatfsaid panel has straight sides and rounded corners, said peripheral reinforcement comprising a plurality of similar sections each having a straight main portion extending along one side of the panel and a curved end portion extending around a corner of the panel and meeting the opposite end of an adjacent section. v

5. In an article of furniture,-a panel, a peripheral reinforcement secured to one face of said panel and having a flange which projects from the panel generally flush with the edges of the panel, said panel having straight sides and rounded corners, said peripheral reinforcement comprising a plurality of similar sections each having'a straight main portion extending along one side of the panel and a curved end portion extending around a corner of the panel and meeting the opposite end of an adjacent section.

6. The invention of claim 5 with the addition that each of said sections is of L-shaped cross-section.

7. A method of tightening a flexible sheet-like covering on a panel having a peripheral flange projecting from one face of the panel adjacent the margin thereof and a reinforcing frame loosely receivable Within said flange, comprising the steps of applying the covering to the other face of the panel, bringing the marginal portions around said flange and securing them to the first mentioned face of the panel at a distance from said flange whereby said marginal portions will extend obliquely from the edge of the flange to such panel-face, positioning said frame in contact with said obliquely extending portions, forcing the frame toward the panel into a positionsuch' that it distorts and stretches such portions, and securing the frame to the panel in such position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,719,532 "Cable 'July2', 1929 1,795,138 -Ohstran'd, et a1 Mar. 3, 1931 1 ,945,130 Bieger Jan. 30, 1934 2,464,170 'Booth Mar. 8, 1949 2,644,733 Castle July 7, 1953 

